Research Areas Genome Engineering
Cell Engineering

Research Interests Our research lies at the interface of chemical and biomolecular engineering, genome editing, and mitochondrial biology. We view proteins, genomes, mitochondria, and cells as engineerable biological systems and apply a novel framework to control and optimize their functions.
At the molecular level, we engineer programmable genome-editing proteins and optimize their activity, specificity, and delivery. At the cellular level, we precisely modify mitochondrial genomes and quantitatively investigate how genetic alterations affect heteroplasmy, cellular metabolism, and disease phenotypes. These findings are further translated into genetic disease models, therapeutic genome-editing strategies, and engineered cell systems with improved functions for biomedical and industrial applications.
We also develop molecular detection and functional analysis technologies for disease diagnosis and the quality assessment of engineered cells. By integrating molecular design, cellular process engineering, quantitative characterization, and therapeutic validation, we aim to establish scalable bioengineering platforms for mitochondrial disorders and other human diseases.

Selected Publications 1. Kim S, Kim J, Cha S, et al. “In vivo mitochondrial base editing restores genotype and visual function in a mouse model of LHON.” Nature Communications. 2025;16:10923.
2. Kim S, Park SG, Kim J, et al. “Comprehensive phenotypic assessment of mitochondrial ND5 nonsense mutation in mice.” Experimental and Molecular Medicine. 2024;56:2395-2408.
3. Cho SI, Lim K, Hong S, et al. “Engineering TALE-linked deaminases to facilitate precision adenine base editing in mitochondrial DNA.” Cell. 2024;187:95-109.e26.
4. Lee S, Lee H, Baek G, Kim JS. “Precision mitochondrial DNA editing with high-fidelity DddA-derived base editors.” Nature Biotechnology. 2023;41:378-386.
5. Lee S, Lee H, Baek G, et al. “Enhanced mitochondrial DNA editing in mice using nuclear-exported TALE-linked deaminases and nucleases.” Genome Biology. 2022;23:211.
6. Cho SI, Lee S, Mok YG, et al. “Targeted A-to-G base editing in human mitochondrial DNA with programmable deaminases.” Cell. 2022;185:1764-1776.e12

Professional Experience 2026.09-현재: 서강대학교 화공생명공학과 부교수
2023.08-2026.08: 성균관대학교 의과대학 메타바이오헬스학과 조교수·부교수
2022.08-2023.08: 엣진(Edgene Inc.) 수석연구원(연구개발팀장)
2022.03-2022.08: 기초과학연구원 유전체교정연구단 연구위원(팀 리더)
2020.03-2022.02: 기초과학연구원 유전체교정연구단 선임연구원